VISAVIS WORKSHOP : photography workshops in Italy

Owned and managed by the De Nicolai family since 1961, the Vis A Vis Hotel and Vis A Vis Publications,
founded and directed since its creation in 1987 by Nathalie Luyer have pooled their expertise to offer
photography workshops in Italy in a place of such beauty that has, in the past, captivated many famous
writers such as Lord Byron or Hans Christian Anderson who described Sestri Levante as a "bay of fairies".
Do not the bays' very names -"Baia delle Favole" and "Baia dello Silenzio"- conjure up images, against
the backdrop of one of the most charming resorts along the Ligurian coast?

> WHERE

In the north west of Italy, the Ligurian coast stretches for 35 kms between Ventimille on the
French-Italian border and La Spezia. Enclosed between mountains and sea, Liguria is famous throughout
the world for its mild climate. From Genoa, the Riviera Levante becomes fabulously picturesque,
with its small harbours, villages perched above the sea, olive trees and sloping terraced gardens.
In the springtime, the air is scented with lemon, orange and almond blossom or the fragrance of mimosa
or basil... Northern not Latin in origin, Ligurians have their own distinctive accent but their strong
cultural Italian identity proved to be an active bonding force in uniting their country in the mid-19th
century with Giuseppe Garibaldi playing the leading role. 50 kms from Genoa, between Portofino and Cinqueterre,
lies Sestri Levante, gently nestled away on a thin strip of land enclosed between two gulfs and a rocky promontory.
The Vis A Vis Hotel is located in a panoramic site between sky and sea on the corniche commanding the Mediterranean.

> WHY

As a passionate photographer for many years now, Nicoḷ Filippo Mori, Director and third-generation
owner of the Vis A Vis Hotel wanted to make his Italian Riviera establishment the ideal, even idyllic
setting to share his passion for the art.

Nathalie Luyer, Founder and Director of Paris-based Vis A Vis Publications has for 10 years
also been teaching image criticism to students or amateur photographers in search of references.

She wanted to be able to extend her teaching experience in a place where the view overlooking the sea
offers a wider horizon for inspiration for the length of the workshop.

As a vis-à-vis between France and Italy, the workshops will bring together both French and Italian
Latin cultures rich in celebrities that have influenced the history of photography. From Jacques-Henri
Lartigue to Gianni Berengo Gardin, Henri Cartier Bresson to Mario Giacomelli, John Batho to Franco Fontana,
Sarah Moon to Paolo Roversi or Pierre & Gilles to Toscani.

The workshop will also provide a bridge between acquired technical and cultural skills and confrontation
with new competencies derived from the shared experience of all.

> WHEN

in April

> HOW

In all, the workshop lasts for 9 days and is divided up into
3 different courses with 3 different facilitators.
Each day provides 9 hours of tuition. Each workshop is attended by
9 participants who aim to hone and heighten
their vision, whether they work in colour, B&W or digital, with 9 books done at the end. Lessons are in English or French, depending on
those taking part.

At the end of the workshop, each participant will leave with his/her own website.
The course is designed for participants to acquire an immediately operational communication tool.

> Course content

Reporting / Portraiture / Fashion / Fine Arts (5 days)

Each personality will look at your work and share his point of view with you. Together,
you advance so as to heighten your vision and plant the seeds which will continue to grow after the workshop.
The course will therefore enable you to dialogue with leading celebrities from the world of photography,
helping you to see just where you are along your development track.

Image criticism (1 day + 6 evenings)

Nathalie Luyer confronts each person's approach and vision with that of the other participants, with catalytic
cultural differences thrown in, but also against the references of major photographers who have influenced and
landmarked photography. The aim is to help you find your own particular way of expression with your own
particular photography style, from the point of view of both form and content.

A selection is made from your own photos on site and those you have brought along, with a view to creating
your own website during the following section. This course will, therefore, enable you to have a critical
outside viewpoint on your work which will give you sharper analysis and heightened assessment.

Digital photography (3 days)

If you want to understand the basics of digital imaging and are eager to enhance the quality of
your shots and prints, this workshop, over and beyond fundamental notions, is based on numerous
practical examples which will answer your (often unanswered) questions.

Basic notions of digital photography & how digital cameras work

Picture parameters

Post-production processing & which files for what type of printing

Creating your own website with NVU software (on Mac & PC) at the end of the workshop.
Prepare your presentation text and biography before the course. This workshop will enable you to create
your own Internet website which can go online on the 9th day of the course.

> WHO

Each workshop is run by leading figures from the world of photography who will share their technique,
aesthetic approach and sensitivity with the students.

Digital photography

> INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS

To receive further information on both of these workshops, send details of
your address etc. to the following e-mail.
The Vis A Vis Hotel in Italy is unable to answer any enquiries regarding the workshops.

VISAVIS WORKSHOP : photography workshops in Paris

>WHY

Usually you show your photos to friends, acquaintances, occasionally to a few galleries or exhibition
places and maybe to press outlets, but during this Vis A Vis Workshop it is your fellow students who
will be looking at your work with their own cultural differences, together with the guest photographer
with his own references and doubtless the influence he will have on your work. Comparison breeds emulation
and, since no man is an island, your own vision will be enriched by the experiences of others.
Whether inspired by the Master photographer or by your fellow workshop colleagues, you will enhance your skills.

This Vis A Vis Workshop combines two directions in the choice of course:

the Master photographer's personality (recognized guest photographer)

the theme.

Since the workshop is divided into three parts, you can easily:

take photos and compare your approach with that of a leading recognized figure;

have an outside viewpoint on the whole of your work expressed by a professional from the critical
and publishing world and the sector of exhibition artistic management;

enhance your knowledge of digital imaging and create your own site with the founder and
director of a digital training centre.

The aim is to help each participant find his/her particular way of expression
with his/her own photography style from the point of view of both form and
content.

> WHEN

In July

> HOW

In all, the workshop lasts for 9 days and is divided up into
3 different courses with 3 different facilitators. Each day
provides 9 hours of tuition. Each
workshop is attended by 9 participants who aim to hone and heighten their
vision, whether they work in colour, B&W or digital. Lessons are in English or
French, depending on those taking part.

At the end of the workshop, each
participant will leave with his/her own website. The course is designed for
participants to acquire an immediately operational communication tool.

No in-depth knowledge in either photography or digital applications is required
for this workshop. What you will need to bring along, however, is your own
curiosity, your thirst for learning, your determination to go forward and, of
course, your passion for photography. So that the 3 courses can be enriching
and productive, you will need to:

So that the 3 courses can be enriching and productive, you will need to:

be familiar with the Master photographer's work, read his books, consult his
press publications or the website featuring his work so as to have a clear idea
of his aesthetic engagement and the way he approaches his work;

bring along your own photography work (some fifty photos at least). From
these images, Nathalie Luyer will be able to provide critical analysis as well
as select with you those photos to be included on the site;

bring your own digital camera so as to take a significant number of photos
and look at them together on the first evening, and be able to ask Huy Nguyen
all the specific questions for which you don't yet have any answers. Depending
on the number of students who have enrolled, a second facilitator, Jean Vasseur
(who also teaches at the Color Academy), may be required for creating Internet
sites.

Each workshop is limited to 9 participants and so varies from 3 to 9
participants so as to preserve tailored contact and ensure maximum time for
everyone spent with facilitator figures.

> Contenu des cours

1.Reporting / Portraiture / Fashion / Fine Arts (5 days)

The Master photographer will look at your work and share his point of view with
you. Together, you advance so as to heighten your vision and plant the seeds
which will continue to grow after the workshop. The course will therefore enable
you to dialogue with leading celebrities from the world of photography, helping
you to see just where you are along your development track.

2. Image criticism (1 day + 6 evenings)

Nathalie Luyer confronts each person's approach and vision with that of the
other participants, with catalytic cultural differences thrown in, but also
against the references of major photographers who have influenced and landmarked
photography. The aim is to help you find your own particular way of expression
with your own particular photography style, from the point of view of both form
and content.

A selection is made from your own photos on Paris and those you have brought
along, with a view to creating your own website during the following section.
This course will, therefore, enable you to have a critical outside viewpoint on
your work which will give you sharper analysis and heightened assessment.

Together we shall analyse the photos which everyone has brought along, so as to
give a coherent direction to your work which sometime lacks the "stand-back"
that is a springboard to any constructive stage.

Drawing on her 19 years of experience in publishing, exhibition artistic
management and teaching image criticism, Nathalie Luyer will select what could
go towards making up a press book and the content of your future website. This
selection will only be constructive for you if you bring along all your
photography work, even in the form of a simple contact print (some fifty photos
at least). No need to bring a whole CD-full! If some of your photos are not
scanned, this can be done on site. What is important is to understand your
approach and point you and your work in the right direction.

An outside viewpoint is often needed for that. This is what you are here for,
so, be reassured, Nathalie Luyer is a good listener and will share her
professional approach and angle of vision with you.

3. Digital photography (3 days)

Huy Nguyen will help you assimilate the basics of digital imaging so as to
enhance the quality of your pictures. Over and beyond fundamental notions, this
workshop is based on numerous practical examples which will answer your (often
unanswered) questions.

Basic notions of digital photography

How digital cameras work

Processing and preparing images for an Internet site

Creating your own website with NVU software at the end of the workshop.

After assessment of your photography work during the previous course, this final stage will give you access to:
The principle of constructing a website and choice of different softwares. Site
architecture design. Acquiring software skills. Acquisition of images and texts.
Site construction. Going online with VISAVISWORSHOP hosting or via the server of
your choice.

For this, you must prepare your presentation text and biography before the
course. This workshop will enable you create your own Internet website which can
go online on the 9th day of the course.

> WHO

Reporting / Portraiture / Fashion / Fine Arts (5 days)

Each facilitator shares his or her technique, aesthetic approach and sensitivity with the students.

Image criticism

Numérique

> CONCLUSION

Don't forget that during the 9 days of the workshop, you will have a peerless
chance to share your work, your impressions and your questions with two leading
figures from the photography world and an imaging professional. Be aware that it
is a rare opportunity in other artistic fields such as the cinema, painting or
literature to be able to rub shoulders and live with great names over these
days.

These 9 days are a concentrate to be "digested" over the following weeks or
years. Certain encounters can prove to be a great revelation...